I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually think about my teeth unless they start hurting. Of course, we all have been trained to maintain our teeth properly. In case you were raised by wolves, dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once a day, combined with routine checkups and thorough cleanings.
Growing up I guess I internalized this training as more of a mechanical consideration…like tuning up a car. My teeth are responsible for chewing my food so I have to keep them in good shape, right?
Well, as medical and dietary science has advanced we’ve learned some interesting things about mouth health that may surprise you. Let’s chat about it.
As we’ve talked about before on this blog, one of the exciting new frontiers of medical research is our gut flora, the host of healthy bacteria that grows throughout our digestive system. Well, if you really think about it, your mouth is actually the beginning of your digestive system. Your mouth controls all of the inputs into the rest of your digestive system. Here are some things to consider to help you keep your mouth and your teeth in tip-top shape:
- Each of your teeth is an organ in your body, connected to your brain by a large bundle of cranial nerves called the trigeminal nerve. That means that your brain “feels” the food, the liquid, and the air that passes over your teeth. Sometimes a tooth extraction (like wisdom teeth) will leave a pocket where decay can begin, called a cavitation. These cavitations in the back of the jaw can put pressure on that big trigeminal nerve, causing pain in our other teeth, even though the issue is from the old extraction.
- Each of your teeth is set in the jaw, so if you have issues with your bone health it may manifest in tooth problems. To maintain proper bone health, make sure you’re getting enough vitamins C, D (especially D3), K2, magnesium, and B vitamins.
- You may have heard of “leaky gut”, where the integrity of the lower digestive system is compromised, allowing bacteria to flow to places where it doesn’t belong. Well, your gums are made of similar tissue as your gut, so if your gum tissue is compromised (gingivitis) then you may develop “leaky gum”. There are many reasons for this, consult a medical professional if you feel this may be an issue.
On a more general note, you’ve often heard us recommend whole foods, unprocessed foods, and a diet low in dietary sugar. Well, all of those recommendations hold true if you’re concerned about your mouth health. Eating fruit snacks or drinking a smoothie leaves a sticky residue of sugary gunk that can begin to cause cavities in your teeth. Eating actual fruits and vegetables is not only healthier for you nutritionally, but the fiber found within them actually works to clean your teeth as you chew them.
If you’re interested, there is one vegetable that stands out above the others when it comes to this teeth-cleaning effect. Celery! Nature’s floss, eating a few pieces of celery can help to clean your teeth, and the chewing action required to chomp those stalks also promotes saliva which can help to rinse your teeth clean. Having trouble getting your children (or yourself) to eat celery? Slap a little almond or peanut butter (try to find a no sugar added brand) and then put a few raisins or dried kiwis on them. “Ants on a Log” is a perennial kid's favorite snack, and it’s great for their teeth and their overall health.
Speaking of chewing, we recently had to have a frank conversation with our 11-year-old son. He’s starting to grow (again) and so when he sits down at the table he shovels his plate clean like he’s racing a stopwatch. We asked him to slow down and chew his food, and he explained that he does chew it, while he shovels in the next bite. Sweet kid... But it does raise a good point. You see, your digestive system is expecting your food to arrive in a particular state. In order to be available to the gut for absorption, nutrients need to be broken down all the way to the molecular level. This takes several steps, but the first step, and the one we have the most conscious control over, is chewing. By swallowing food without properly chewing we can cause malabsorption of nutrients as well as a tremendous tummy ache.
Another complication on the subject of chewing (can you believe there’s so much to talk about on this subject?) is that if you’ve been consuming a diet of highly processed, high carbohydrate food and you make a rapid switch to whole, natural, unprocessed foods you need to make a conscious effort to change your chewing habits. Swallowing a bite of unchewed donuts or a few fast-food french fries might be something your dietary system can manage. The processing that these foods underwent before arriving at your plate makes them easier for the digestive system to break down. Were you to switch overnight to carrots, broccoli, quinoa, and some spinach and failing to chew these natural foods will give your digestive system a tremendous challenge. But I can promise you… making the switch, and using those beautiful pearly whites to bring that nutrition into your body will be a game changer. You’ll suddenly find yourself with more energy, fewer cravings, a clear mind, a willingness to move, improved sleep, and the ability to reach a healthy weight… all because you’re taking the time to chew as you bring in each principle of Open Eating!